Vinny

PU - 74 NU - 69

Also a zone can be a useful tool to slow down hot shooting teams. It can leave you about half a rotation behind the ball instead of a full rotation if you have practiced it and have the spacing down.

I didn’t think we were trying a zone. I said it looked like we were sticking closer to players. Not playing space or anticipating passes. I actually thought it looked like we were trying to play a tight man to man and just couldn’t or weren’t ready to because it hadn’t been practiced or practiced enough. I’m mostly just musing about if the ways we’ve found success defensively since around this time last year have been scouted enough that teams with capable shooters, like Creighton and Wisconsin, have figured out how to exploit it and are beating us by letting us do what we try to do.

One possession early in the second half I noticed our defenders were all out on the three point line defending and I wondered if we were switching up our look to try something else out. Which made me wonder, will we ever incorporate a defensive scheme change to try and stop momentum in games like this when we need a catalyst? And if not, why not?

There is very little I like about the entire state of Wisconsin. I hate how this game is going and I hope we run them out of the Vault next month.

That time he fully extended the arm off Mast to get space. Wtf.

Chucky “The Hook” Hepburn. Rare to see him attack the basket without his off arm totally wrapped around the defender.

Exactly, when we had a layup

Why not and 1?

I think the last foul on Tominaga was for letting himself get held.

And a missed kick right there. I don’t like complaining about refs much but they’re setting a bad tone for themselves right now.

Yeah about three moving screens set to get chucky space on that three. Gary should have had an and 1.

Anyone hear anything on how Wilcher is doing?

Yeah Allick is strong and likely won’t ever show weakness in situations like that. Another player with a different response to what happened to him pry would have gotten the call over the hump to a flagrant 2. Allick didn’t stay down long or roll around on the court or over sell it at all. It shouldn’t make a difference, but I think it does. I’m also okay with Allick showing the other team he’s not going to let that affect him.

I want to love that outsiders are seeing how our season is going and taking us seriously as a team and as a program. But I also have to take Jeff Goodman’s view on Indiana into account since I don’t know him well enough to have already established an opinion about him. He spends a lot of time lamenting Indiana’s lack of shooters after a game that saw them hit half their three point shots. Meanwhile, their two best players, who are bigs, had nine turnovers. I can’t put too much stock into his assessment. RC however seemed more objective and he seemed almost scared by the realization that we may be waking up as a program and becoming a top half of the league team. I can buy stock in that.

NU - 78 UW - 73 3

Seems Williams and Lawrence have been doing the most initiating lately. If they can get the defense to collapse with help like that, there should be plenty of open looks for other guards and wings. If we can hit some we have a good chance with or without Mast. Could see another big game for CJ offensively here.

Having 16 steals will do that!

NU - 75 IU - 66

Damn you, Ken!

I watch the NBA. I very much appreciate watching the sheer athleticism on display every night. Same with the NFL for me. Watching those athletes in space is fantastic. I think players are getting so much stronger and faster I could see the next big change in the game will be the court size. They made the lane wider, next is the whole court. I can’t stand the iso-ball where four guys stand on one half the court to let a one vs. one happen. When an NBA offense is clicking it’s so fun to watch and it’s all about space, angles and movement. I say give them more space to do their thing.

Or rule changes favor the offense. Or all three.

Tough room.

Before the Minn game he warmed up almost entirely by himself. The only player I saw him speak to was….Lloyd.